International
US firefighters optimistic over world’s biggest tree
AFP
Firefighters battling to protect the world’s biggest tree from wildfires ravaging the parched United States said Friday they are optimistic it can be saved.
Flames are creeping closer to the majestic General Sherman and other giant sequoias, as man-made climate change worsens California’s fearsome fire season.
“We have hundreds of firefighters there giving it their all, giving extra care,” Mark Garrett, communications officer for the region’s fire department, told AFP, of the operation in Sequoia National Park.
Crews are battling the spreading Paradise and Colony fires, which have so far consumed 4,600 hectares (11,400 acres) of forest since they were sparked by lightning a week ago.
The blazes are threatening Giant Forest, a grove of around 2,000 sequoias that includes five of the largest trees on the planet — some up to 3,000 years old.
The biggest of them all, the General Sherman stands 83 meters (275 feet) tall.
On Thursday, General Sherman was wrapped in fire-proof blankets — aluminum foil intended to protect its giant trunk from the worst of the flames.
By Friday, managers felt they had the upper hand, thanks in part to clearing of undergrowth and controlled burns that starve the fire of fuel.
“I think the most challenging part is the terrain here,” said Garrett.
But “we haven’t seen explosive fire behavior; it really slowed down and gave us a chance to get ahead of it.”
Around 600 personnel are involved in the fight.
“We have folks up in the Giant Forest protecting structures and preparing everything.
“The fact is that they’ve been prescribed burning for the past 25 or 30 years so it is really prepared.”
Millions of acres of California’s forests have burned in this year’s ferocious fire season.
Scientists say global warming, stoked by the unchecked use of fossil fuels is making the area ever-more vulnerable to bigger and more destructive wildfires.
The enormous trees of the Giant Forest are a huge tourist draw, with visitors traveling from all over the world to marvel at their imposing height and extraordinary girth.
While not the tallest trees — California redwoods can grow to more than 300 feet — the giant sequoias are the largest by volume.
Smaller fires generally do not harm the sequoias, which are protected by a thick bark and often only have branches 100 feet above the ground.
But the larger, hotter blazes that are laying waste to the western United States are dangerous to them because they climb higher up the trunks and into the canopy.
International
Wildfires in France Burn Nearly Three Times More Land Than in 2025, Interior Minister Says
More than 50,000 hectares of land have been destroyed by wildfires across France since the beginning of the year, nearly three times the area affected during the same period in 2025, French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said Friday in an interview with AFP.
Emergency crews are currently battling several major fires, including one near the popular Cap Ferret peninsula, where flames have already consumed more than 10,000 hectares, making it the largest wildfire of the season so far, according to the minister.
“Currently, we have 32 fires underway, which obviously do not all have the same level of importance,” Nuñez said.
“We have exceeded the threshold of 50,000 hectares burned since January 1 of this year. It is practically three times more than during the same period last year,” he added.
Despite the extensive resources deployed and the long hours worked by emergency teams — estimated to be two and a half times higher than last year — Nuñez said authorities remain “calm” and “determined” to contain the situation.
The minister acknowledged that the main concern is the fatigue affecting firefighters and emergency personnel who have been working under demanding conditions.
“The concern, if there has to be one, obviously lies in the state of exhaustion of the men and women who are committed. We have to hold on throughout the entire season,” Nuñez said.
France’s late spring and early summer have been marked by repeated periods of extreme heat, conditions linked by scientists to climate change and considered a major factor contributing to the increase in wildfire activity across the country.
International
Israel Says Saudi Recognition Would Mark ‘Historic Breakthrough’ for Middle East Peace
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Saudi Arabia’s recognition of Israel would represent a “historic breakthrough” toward achieving peace in the Middle East.
The statement came after the United States and Saudi Arabia announced an agreement on Wednesday to establish a civil nuclear program in the kingdom. U.S. President Donald Trump said the initiative would be linked to Riyadh’s decision to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel.
“Saudi Arabia joining the Abraham Accords would represent a historic breakthrough toward peace in the Middle East,” Netanyahu’s office said following Trump’s announcement.
The statement added that recent developments, including joint military actions by the United States and Israel against Iran, as well as Israel’s efforts against what it described as Iran’s “terror axis,” have created new opportunities to expand regional diplomatic ties.
“The joint U.S.-Israeli military action against the genocidal regime in Tehran and Israel’s defeat of Iran’s terror axis have created the possibility of expanding the circle of peace,” the statement said.
A potential normalization agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia would represent a major diplomatic shift in the region, as Riyadh has long been viewed as one of the key countries whose formal recognition could significantly reshape Middle Eastern relations.
International
Nicolás Maduro’s Son Calls U.S. Trial Against His Father and Cilia Flores “Unjust”
Venezuelan lawmaker Nicolás Maduro Guerra on Wednesday described as “unjust” the legal proceedings in the United States against his father, ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, following their capture in Caracas on January 3 by U.S. forces.
“Faced with the unjust trial taking place today, the people raised their voices with a single demand: We demand the immediate release of President Nicolás Maduro and the First Lady,” Maduro Guerra wrote on his Instagram account.
The lawmaker attended a rally in Caracas where supporters of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV)gathered to show support for the former president, who faces charges in the United States including conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and cocaine importation. Flores is accused of crimes related to drug trafficking and weapons possession.
The event was also attended by PSUV Vice President for Mobilizations and Events Nahum Fernández and Caracas Mayor Carmen Meléndez, according to photos shared by Maduro’s son.
The third hearing in the case against Maduro and Flores concluded Wednesday at a federal court in New York after lasting only about 18 minutes. During the hearing, the judge preliminarily set June 2027 as the expected start date for the trial.
One of the main arguments from the defense will focus on immunity. Maduro’s lead attorney, Barry Pollack, who has also represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, said the defense plans to request immunity for both defendants, arguing that Maduro was serving as head of state and Flores as first lady at the time of their detention.
Both Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty during their first court appearance in New York on January 5.
Meanwhile, Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed power after Maduro’s capture, has not yet commented on Wednesday’s hearing in the United States.
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